gamedesign Some People I worked on a game with decided to flat-out ditch me and refuse to respond to me but the game has my work

[Mq3]

Pretty much, I don't want people taking credit for work I've done. To clarify, I haven't done too much, I've written dialogue, descriptions, lore, as well as story events and narration quotes. If this game comes out without me being credited, what should I do? I've been banned from the disc server without notice or ban reason btw.

 

[zeusthemoose]

Before I say anything, I’m not a lawyer and to get advice that is applicable to your exact situation (any agreements, the nature of the work, the exact work stolen, etc.), you should talk to one directly.

I believe this would be classified as intellectual property meaning that they have no right to use it without your permission. If they do use it without permission, you will likely have grounds to sue. Now what exactly that means I cannot say. If you are serious about this, contact a lawyer to see what your options are. Otherwise i would just try to contact the people who you were working with and find out what the deal is. Also make sure to keep a copy of any communication you have with them as it would likely be important if you do end up suing.

Again, I am not a lawyer and anything I said could be wrong.

[Mutoh]

26 minutes ago, zeusthemoose said:

Before I say anything, I’m not a lawyer and to get advice that is applicable to your exact situation (any agreements, the nature of the work, the exact work stolen, etc.), you should talk to one directly.

I believe this would be classified as intellectual property meaning that they have no right to use it without your permission. If they do use it without permission, you will likely have grounds to sue. Now what exactly that means I cannot say. If you are serious about this, contact a lawyer to see what your options are. Otherwise i would just try to contact the people who you were working with and find out what the deal is. Also make sure to keep a copy of any communication you have with them as it would likely be important if you do end up suing.

Again, I am not a lawyer and anything I said could be wrong.

Might be a better idea to establish if any contract or agreement was made first before popping into the whole "its your IP" thing IMO.

 

 

Also not a fantastic idea to start off with litigation

[SansVarnic]

Absolutely this:

Seek legal advice. If there is a contract or some agreement already exists present it.

 

I ditto @zeusthemoose

[Mutoh]

LPT: Dont ask the internet for legal advice. 

[Mq3]

31 minutes ago, zeusthemoose said:

Before I say anything, I’m not a lawyer and to get advice that is applicable to your exact situation (any agreements, the nature of the work, the exact work stolen, etc.), you should talk to one directly.

I believe this would be classified as intellectual property meaning that they have no right to use it without your permission. If they do use it without permission, you will likely have grounds to sue. Now what exactly that means I cannot say. If you are serious about this, contact a lawyer to see what your options are. Otherwise i would just try to contact the people who you were working with and find out what the deal is. Also make sure to keep a copy of any communication you have with them as it would likely be important if you do end up suing.

Again, I am not a lawyer and anything I said could be wrong.

 

2 minutes ago, Mutoh said:

LPT: Dont ask the internet for legal advice. 

Prob a good idea... I'm just curious to what people might say. Its not a big game on any scale nor is it likely to even come out anytime soon. So I'm not concerned, I made sure to collect evidence of everything I've done and communication with the people. Like I said, its nothing big and I likely wouldn't ever sue, just concerned that if it did come out using my intellectual property, I would get credit, I frankly don't really care about the money that much, just the credit.

[Prodigy_Smit]

I AM NOT A LAWYER. You should be doing what @zeusthemoose suggested.

My cousin has judged cases similar to this, generally if the opposition can prove that it is their intellectual property is being used the judges deliver a verdict in favor of the opposition. 

[Dutch_Master]

4 minutes ago, Mutoh said:

LPT: Dont ask the internet for legal advice. 

Absolutely. But you can ask the internet to advise getting real legal advise

[Mutoh]

2 minutes ago, Mq3 said:

 

Prob a good idea... I'm just curious to what people might say. Its not a big game on any scale nor is it likely to even come out anytime soon. So I'm not concerned, I made sure to collect evidence of everything I've done and communication with the people. Like I said, its nothing big and I likely wouldn't ever sue, just concerned that if it did come out using my intellectual property, I would get credit, I frankly don't really care about the money that much, just the credit.

If the game ends up making profit of some sort that would be worth compensation, worry about it if you have proof of your contribution.

 

 

Otherwise, you'll have to consider if credit is worth the lawyer fees for a random indie game. 

 

 

Litigation isnt cheap. Not all provinces and states are the same. I suggest consulting somebody local to you that is familiar with your laws and start from there. Anything else is dangerous.

 

 

Remember, its easy to spend another person's money. Its easy to say "sue the shit out of them".

 

 

Its not easy actually having to be there. Thats why most people aim to settle.

 

 

 

[dizmo]

Honestly, the chances of it being worth the lawyers fees are slim to none. I wouldn't worry about it too much, and chalk it up as a learning lesson.

[Andreas Lilja]

44 minutes ago, Mutoh said:

LPT: Dont ask the internet for legal advice. 

Or ask /r/legaladvice

 

LTT lol